Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance drew immediate praise from prominent Democrat leaders Sunday night, even as conservatives, including President Donald Trump, sharply criticized the show.
The performance, delivered almost entirely in Spanish, sparked backlash among many conservatives.
It quickly became a flashpoint for broader cultural and political debate.
President Trump condemned the show in a post on Truth Social, writing:
“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!
“It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence.
“Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World.”
He added:
“This ‘Show’ is just a ‘slap in the face’ to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day — including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History!
“There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD.
“And, by the way, the NFL should immediately replace its ridiculous new Kickoff Rule.
“MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Trump’s criticism quickly became one of the most viral storylines of the night.
Democrat Leaders Celebrate Performance
Several prominent Democrat figures publicly praised the halftime show.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) declared Sunday “Bad Bunny Day” ahead of the game and later posted:
“America, the beautiful.
“THANK YOU, BAD BUNNY.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) praised the artist in Spanish on X and later wrote on BlueSky:
“Ocasio gang rise up.”
The comment was accompanied by an image of Bad Bunny wearing an Ocasio 64 jersey.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani re-shared praise for the performance from New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) posted an image of Bad Bunny styled after Barack Obama’s 2008 “hope” poster with the caption:
“Bad Bunny understood the assignment…”
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) published multiple celebratory posts while criticizing conservative backlash.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris’s new “Headquarters” X account also posted messages praising the show and attacking Trump and boxer Jake Paul for their criticism.
Conservative Backlash and Alternative Programming
Prominent conservative commentators were among the show’s harshest critics, joined by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon.
Some viewers chose to skip the halftime performance entirely in favor of Turning Point USA’s competing “All-American” halftime show, which featured Kid Rock.
Although the halftime show was expected to be sung fully in Spanish, pop star Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance to perform the Bruno Mars song “Die With a Smile.”
NFL Defends Selection
Meanwhile, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell defended the league’s decision to feature Bad Bunny, saying:
“Listen, Bad Bunny is, and I think that was demonstrated last night, one of the great artists in the world, and that’s one of the reasons we chose him.”
He continued:
“But the other reason is he understood the platform he was on, and this platform is used to unite people and to be able to bring people together with their creativity, with their talents, and to be able to use this moment to do that, and I think artists in the past have done that.
“I think Bad Bunny understands that, and I think he’ll have a great performance.”
READ MORE – Turning Point USA Reveals Staggering Super Bowl Halftime Show Viewer Numbers
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